Nisshi
by Shin Chim Hye
Summary: Because one must love for love's sake only.
1. Warmth

**Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto.**

**Summary: **Sakura had become tired of chasing Sasuke and getting nothing in return. But after reading some of Sasuke's entries in his most treasured notebook, she found no reason at all to love him… Because_ one must love for love's sake only._

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Nisshi

**By: Snotty Chim-Chim**

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"_In a world that has grown cold –_

_You are there with your warmth."_

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The sun is already showering Konohagakure and the rest of the world with its hot rays and yet, the prodigy of Team 7 is nowhere to be found. Kakashi, who is also known for his tardiness, arrived even before Sasuke.

"ARGH! I swear, once I see that teme, I'm going to rip his overly inflated head off!" Naruto heatedly shouted.

"Maybe he just overslept. Let's wait for him, ne?" Sakura said, also starting to get seriously annoyed by Sasuke's tardiness.

Yes, annoyed that Sasuke's late. In case you haven't noticed, she'd overcome her infatuation on Sasuke.

Another hour passed and still no Sasuke. Even the Copy Ninja, who often remains calm and emotionless, was starting to show some of his impatience.

And when another thirty minutes passed, he seriously asked Sakura and Naruto to check on Sasuke.

"I suggest you go to Sasuke's house to check on him. He might have a serious reason for this tardiness." Kakashi said.

"Hmph. As if he has a good enough reason to make the future Hokage wait!" Naruto said.

BONK.

"Naruto, you talk too much of yourself! Stop being conceited!" Sakura said, brandishing her hand for another whack on Naruto's head – if the occasion calls for it.

"WHAT? Me, conceited! Ha! You must be talking about Sasuke! He's too arrog- OUCH! What did you do that for, eh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined while nursing a newly formed bump on his head.

"Stop badmouthing Sasuke. Even if I don't have a crush on him anymore, I'm still his teammate and I won't let anyone badmouth him!" Sakura said.

"Hey little children, you better be off." Kakashi cut their bickering off.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE!" Sakura and Naruto said in unison.

"No one."

"LIAR!"

"Off you go!" Kakashi whipped out an orange book and was out of site in a couple of seconds.

"Stupid Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as they trudge to Sasuke's apartment.

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"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura suddenly said.

"Yeah?" came Naruto's answer.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I am. Why?" Naruto answered, consciously rubbing a hand on his rumbling stomach.

"I can go to Sasuke's house alone, if you want to head to your beloved ramen stand."

"WHAT? Arigatou, Sakura-chan! You're so kind!" And with that, he practically rushed to his favorite ramen stand.

Sakura smiled at his retreating back.

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Knock. Knock.

No answer.

Knock. Knock.

Still, no one answered.

"Sasuke-kun, are you home?"

…

She turned the door knob and, miraculously, the door swung open. Sakura peeked inside and was greeted by an empty apartment. She decided then and there to wait for Sasuke inside his apartment, clearly thinking that no harm would befall her from doing so.

How utterly wrong she is.

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As she moved towards the sofa, she noticed a blue notebook innocently lying on the coffee table. The cover has an Uchiha emblem on it and on the lower right side corner of the notebook was the name "Uchiha Sasuke" written in bold, golden letters.

She took it and began flipping through the pages, wondering what was written inside. Her eyes skimmed over the words until a phrase caught her eye.

"_In a world that has grown cold –_

_You are there with your warmth."_

_I solely dedicate this phrase to my teammate, Haruno Sakura, who is always there to cheer me on – the real me. _

_She's always there; ready to give me her love and warmth even if I keep pushing her aside. I must admit that at some point, it became my source of comfort. I wish I could say this directly to her but I just don't know how. _

_And so, in tribute to her kindness, I dedicate this phrase to her, hoping that in one way or another, I can finally open up to her and tell her my feelings._

_Hoping it's not too late._

_-Uchiha Sasuke_

_September 7_

Heart thumping madly against her chest, she closed the notebook and tried to smother her newly forming feelings for a certain raven-haired boy.

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**Author's Note:**

**I know this must be pretty lame but who can blame me? I need to get it out of my system. **

**Anyway, just tell me what you think and I'll decide from there whether to continue this or not.**

**Ja ne!**


	2. Honesty

**Disclaimers: I swear Naruto wouldn't have grown this big if I own it.**

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**Nisshi **

**By Snotty Chim-Chim**

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"_In a world that has forgotten what true and real things are made of –_

_You are there with your honesty."_

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Heart thumping wildly against her chest, Haruno Sakura stood up and made her way to the door, never bothering to look back.

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"Sakura-chaaaannn! Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked at once.

"I don't know," came Sakura's half-hearted reply.

"Did something happen? Why are you so upset, Sakura-chan?"

"Nothing happened, really." She tried to smile but failed miserably.

"Come on! You can tell me!"

At Naruto's persistence, Sakura looked up only to find Naruto's tanned face merely inches from her own. She immediately put some decent distance between them.

"I'm upset because Sasuke's nowhere to be found." She said, half telling the truth.

"That's all?"

"Hai."

"You sure?"

"Hai."

"Really sure?"

"Yes. Anyway, it's getting late. We should be getting home, ne?" Sakura said.

"Oh yeah! Ja ne, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura turned her back to Naruto and started walking home. Unbeknownst to her, Naruto is still gazing worriedly at her back.

"_Everything's going to be alright, Sakura-chan!"_

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When Sakura is sure Naruto isn't following her, she made her way back to Sasuke's apartment.

Apparently, Sasuke isn't back yet since no single light can be seen inside the apartment. After entering the apartment, her gaze immediately landed on the table where a blue notebook lay. She picked it up and began to read another entry.

"_In a world that has forgotten what true and real things are made of –_

_You are there with your honesty."_

_When Sakura and I first met, I thought of her as a nuisance; an annoying, good-for-nothing hindrance to my goal. _

_As time goes by, I eventually see her potential and I started acknowledging her as my teammate, though she may not have noticed it._

_When I decided to turn my back on Konoha and leave for Sound, she confronted me just before the gates. _

_It didn't actually cross my mind that she'd be the one to know of my plan. But I guess she'll always be the most insightful in Team 7._

_She confronted me and tried to open my eyes, but being the stubborn last survivor of the clan, my decision didn't waver. I admit I was rather surprised at how she approached the matter._

_I can literally feel the honesty behind her words but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me stay._

_I'm really grateful to have her as my comrade – as my friend._

_- Uchiha Sasuke_

_June 14_

It had been almost four years since that happened. It was surprising that Sasuke is brave enough to put it on a journal to forever remember the incident where all things changed.

Sakura heard some shuffling upstairs and she rushed to see if it was Sasuke. The gruesome scene made her blood run cold.

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**Author's Note:**

**I'm really sorry for it took me ten months to regain my interest in this, though I'm not sure if I did regain my interest in the pairing. **

**I also want to apologize because this chapter is short, shorter than expected. **

**Anyway, off to write the next chapter! I'll just wait for some feedbacks before I post the next one.**

**Review and review! **

**Ja!**


	3. Faith

**Disclaimer: How I wish I was as brilliant as Masashi Kishimoto; heck, if I was as brilliant as he, I would have thought of writing Naruto first. LOL.**

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**Nisshi**

**By: Snotty Chim-Chim**

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"_In a world that has forgotten what to believe in and how and why –_

_You are there with your faith in all things good."_

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The gruesome scene made her blood run cold.

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There huddled in the floor right before her was her teammate with fresh bloods dripping noiselessly from his newly cut wrists.

"Oh my, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura crouched down beside Sasuke and immediately placed her now glowing hands on Sasuke's bleeding wrists.

Sasuke remained pale… unmoving… not breathing.

Tears of desperation escaped Sakura's emerald eyes.

"Come on! Breathe, Sasuke-kun! Breathe!"

The glow on Sakura's hands is now diminishing with her hope.

"Breathe! Just breathe, Sasuke-kun!" Tears of anguish marred her already panic-stricken face.

The sound of the front door breaking…

"Sasuke-kun!"

Hurried footsteps making their way up the stairs…

"Sakura-chan –" Naruto burst inside the room.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What happened?" he asked hurriedly.

"I don't know. I just found him lying there, blood and all." Sakura said, forcing her voice to remain calm but failing miserably.

It's good that Naruto's rational thinking decided to stay.

"Let's bring him to Tsunade-baba." Naruto said, crouching low to Sasuke's level and picking him up bridal-style.

"Come on, Sakura-chan."

Sakura remained seated, staring blankly at the floor where Sasuke lay before.

"Sakura-chan!"

No reaction.

"Sakura-chan! We need to bring him to Tsunade-baba fast or else he'll die!"

That snapped Sakura out of her daze.

"Why are you still here, Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura stood up and hastily pushed Naruto outside.

"I was waiting for you. Geez. And you call me an idiot!" Naruto grumbled under his breath but never stop running to the Hokage tower.

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"Tsunade-baba!" The door of her office burst open.

"How many times –" Tsunade stopped berating Naruto.

"What happened?" Tsunade asked, taking in the sight.

"We don't know. We just found him lying in his bedroom floor."

"Place him on the couch."

Tsunade's hands began to glow and she placed it on Sasuke's still bleeding wrists.

After a few moments, the bleeding stopped.

"He lost so many blood. He needs blood transfusion right away. Come on; carry him to the hospital, Naruto."

"Hai!"

They rushed him to the hospital where Sasuke received proper treatment.

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Sakura sat on a stool beside Sasuke's bed, watching the blood flow from the bag to Sasuke's arm, the oxygen mask helping him breathe.

"He'll be alright, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, placing his right hand on Sakura's left

Sakura nodded.

"What's this all about, Naruto?" Tsunade demanded.

"I'll explain once we're in your office, Tsunade-baba." Naruto's soft voice didn't show its usual mockery when using the nickname.

Tsunade only nodded and made her way out of the room.

Naruto squeezed Sakura's shoulder before following Tsunade out of the room.

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"So, care to explain what happened?"

"I told you already, we found Sasuke lying on his bedroom floor, blood coming out of his slit wrists."

"I see, but were you a minute late, he would have died."

"…!" Naruto gaped.

"Yes, it's that serious."

"But –"

"Do you know what triggered Sasuke to take this course of action?"

"No, but he was acting really weird a few days ago. That idiotic teme! And he didn't even show up for training a while ago."

"I would've asked Kakashi about this if he's in the village." Tsunade said, looking out the window.

"He's out of the village? But we just saw him a few hours ago."

"Something came up. I sent him on a mission."

"What kind of mission?"

"A dangerous one."

"What could be so dangerous nowadays?"

"There's still the Akatsuki."

"You mean you sent him to eliminate the Akatsuki! Alone!" Naruto's eyes bulged.

"Not eliminate them, no. Just a look-out and he's with Jiraiya."

"Akatsuki decided to become active again." Tsunade continued.

"At a time like this?"

"Yes. And they're after you."

"Again!"

"They didn't get the Kyuubi before."

"Damn."

"Damn, indeed."

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"Sasuke-kun, promise me you're going to be alright." Sakura holds Sasuke's right hand.

Sasuke remained motionless, the monitor showing the rate of his heartbeat.

"Promise me." Sakura's voice broke.

Fresh tears welled up her eyes, shoulders already shaking. She laid her head on the bed and started crying.

After a while, she looked at Sasuke determinedly.

"Everything's going to be alright. You're going to be alright."

Sakura wasn't sure if it's Sasuke she's trying to convince or herself.

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**Author's Note:**

**The Akatsuki's appearance is very sudden. I swear I didn't plan on it (only shows how impulsive I am). Anyway, I'm not about to write more about them because this story focuses on Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. The Akatsuki is an entirely different matter.**

**So, how's the third chapter?**

**I'm really excited to finish this fanfic so that I can proceed writing another much bigger project (my mind is about to burst with ideas). This needs to get out of my system first. Haha.**

**Hm, I think there's only one chapter left.**

**So,**

**Review and review!**

**Ja!**


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